"In the beginning, it was all black and white."

If you've never been rendered unconscious before, count yourself lucky.

The first thing that comes back to you is your hearing. It starts as this high-pitched ringing in your ears, the kind that makes you check if they're leaking blood or not. Of course, they never are, but it doesn't stop you from checking.

The sounds of the world leak in slowly, fading in and out in dull, muffled tones. If you were on an operating table, you'd probably catch the tail end of a nurse's conversation. It'd be unintelligible as yourself right then, but hey.

Then your vision returns. A white landscape bleeds away, and you realize it was just your eyes adjusting to the light. You blink away the cobwebs, and the picture starts to become more and more clear.

Suddenly, the smell of dust and teenage boy hit you in the face, the taste of morning breath wrapped around your tongue. You smack your lips a couple times. Gross. Get that out of me, please.

Then you sit up groggily and whoa… You were not ready for that. The world is spinning. Your head is throbbing like hell, and you're sore all over.

It's at this point you might be thinking:

'What the hell did I drink last night?'

...Unless you're under the age of twenty-one and you're a law-abiding "stick-in-the-mud" like me. In which case, your thought is more along the lines of:

'...Alright, who did I piss off this time?'

Eyes driven shut by the pain, I laid my head back down softly, gentle movements to ease this killer migraine. My legs felt like I'd run a marathon, and my brain felt like it had grown legs and done the same. What did I do last night?

Slowly, I let my eyes flutter open, taking in the morning sun. It was bright in my room, light pouring through the gla—

When did my room get windows?

When did my room get a decent light source?

When did my room get a traditional Japanese Kotatsu?

Okay, so we weren't in my room.

Where were we then?

I'm hardly the partying type, and I don't recall spending the night at a friend's or a relative's. Hell, I can't remember last night at all...

Hand gripping my pounding forehead like a vice, I rolled to one elbow slowly. Even more slowly, I managed to push myself upright at the same pace I would run a marathon. That is… good luck, spectators. You're gonna' be here a while.

Finally sitting, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and took in the strange room. Ceiling lamp above me, futon below. Desk in one corner, bookcase in another…

...Sliding paper windows, tatami flooring, kanji calligraphy on the wall…

"It's a fanboy's wet dream," I muttered.

…

And so, the next problem reared its ugly head.

That… was not my voice.

The grip on my forehead went slack, and I stared down at myself dumbfounded, mouth agape.

I was wearing some kind of baby blue bathrobe, with a thin black cloth tied around the waist like a belt. The sleeves were comically wide and droopy— the kind you'd expect a magician to keep cards up. The base of the robe was splayed out across the bottom of the futon, wide open around my feet. All in all, it's something I wouldn't be caught dead wearing… or anyone else in my country for that matter.

No… I was gawking at my hands, my trembling hands… Tanned… Calloused…

...Animated.

Damn it, this is gonna' be one of those stories, isn't it?

Hey there! This'll be one of three Author's Notes in the entire thing, so please read this.

This is NOT a OC fic, nor is it a self-insert. This fic features no original characters. All characters who appear are present in the Nisekoi canon.

That said, expect nods to official Nisekoi spinoffs and crossovers. Urabana, Yomeiri, you name it. Hopefully there's something in here for casual and hardcore fans. Don't worry; whenever something comes up, I'll be sure to explain.

That should be all for now! The next A/N will be right before the fic's ending.

Hope to see you there!